Public Opposition Led to E-Levy’s Downfall – Seth Acheampong
Former Eastern Regional Minister highlights the need for fresh approaches to national revenue generation after tax removals.
- Seth Acheampong attributes the E-Levy's failure to strong public backlash and legislative hurdles
- Acheampong welcomes the scrapping of the E-Levy and other taxes
- He urges the government to explore creative approaches to generate sustainable revenue for the country
Former Eastern Regional Minister Seth Acheampong has voiced support for the new administration’s decision to abolish the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), Betting Tax, and Emissions Tax.
He explained that the failure of these taxes to meet their intended goals was not surprising, given the significant opposition and challenges they encountered.
Acheampong emphasized that taxes are introduced to support government vision and policies, but the strong public backlash and legislative obstacles that the E-Levy faced made it difficult to succeed. “Initially, the E-Levy seemed like a positive step, but the overwhelming resistance made it clear that it would not generate the desired revenue,” he remarked.
Welcoming the removal of these taxes, Acheampong urged the new administration to seek out more creative revenue-generation strategies, stating, “If it’s gone, it’s gone; we do not need it as a country.”
His comments followed President John Dramani Mahama’s approval of legislative measures to eliminate these taxes, fulfilling the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) promise to ease the financial burden on Ghanaians.
